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Physicians’ rhetorical strategies for motivating HPV vaccination

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  • Gilkey, Melissa B.
  • Grabert, Brigid K.
  • Malo, Teri L.
  • Hall, Megan E.
  • Brewer, Noel T.

Abstract

Rationale. Receiving a healthcare provider's recommendation is a well-documented predictor of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and yet recommendations remain understudied and undertheorized. Objective. To qualitatively describe strategies providers use to motivate HPV vaccination. Method. We surveyed a national sample of 771 U.S. primary care physicians. Data came from an open-ended item that assessed physicians' perspectives on the most effective thing they could say to persuade parents to get HPV vaccine for their 11- to 12-year-old children. Using a standardized codebook and two independent coders, we conducted a thematic analysis to identify rhetorical strategies underlying physicians' responses. Results. We identified two sets of strategies for motivating HPV vaccination. One set drew parents' attention to specific actors or vaccine characteristics. Physicians using these strategies asked parents to consider their children's individual risk in the short-term, named specific diseases that could be prevented, emphasized the novelty of HPV vaccine as a cancer prevention tool, and gave their personal endorsement for HPV vaccination. In contrast, the second set of strategies was more distancing and impersonal. Physicians using these strategies referenced future risk, described cancer prevention in general terms, framed HPV vaccine as similar to other vaccines, and shared organizational endorsements for HPV vaccination. Across these two sets of strategies, a tension emerged between the goals of engaging parents' perceptions of HPV as a threat to their children versus framing HPV vaccination as a normative standard of care. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that theoretical frameworks, such as Construal Level Theory, may be helpful for positioning provider recommendations in the broader literature on persuasive communication. By identifying competing approaches to motivating HPV vaccination, this study lays the groundwork for future research to test the acceptability and impact of strategies for recommending routine preventive care.

Suggested Citation

  • Gilkey, Melissa B. & Grabert, Brigid K. & Malo, Teri L. & Hall, Megan E. & Brewer, Noel T., 2020. "Physicians’ rhetorical strategies for motivating HPV vaccination," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:266:y:2020:i:c:s0277953620306602
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113441
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jiaxi Peng & Fei He & Yan Zhang & Quanhui Liu & Danmin Miao & Wei Xiao, 2013. "Differences in Simulated Doctor and Patient Medical Decision Making: A Construal Level Perspective," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(11), pages 1-7, November.
    2. Sundstrom, Beth & Smith, Ellie & Delay, Cara & Luque, John S. & Davila, Caroline & Feder, Bailey & Paddock, Vincenza & Poudrier, Jessie & Pierce, Jennifer Young & Brandt, Heather M., 2019. "A reproductive justice approach to understanding women's experiences with HPV and cervical cancer prevention," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 289-297.
    3. Reiter, P.L. & McRee, A.-L. & Pepper, J.K. & Gilkey, M.B. & Galbraith, K.V. & Brewer, N.T., 2013. "Longitudinal predictors of human papillomavirus vaccination among a national sample of adolescent males," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(8), pages 1419-1427.
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    Cited by:

    1. Brian Hughes & Cynthia Miller-Idriss & Rachael Piltch-Loeb & Beth Goldberg & Kesa White & Meili Criezis & Elena Savoia, 2021. "Development of a Codebook of Online Anti-Vaccination Rhetoric to Manage COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-18, July.
    2. Martinelli, Mauro & Veltri, Giuseppe Alessandro, 2021. "Do cognitive styles affect vaccine hesitancy? A dual-process cognitive framework for vaccine hesitancy and the role of risk perceptions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    3. Brian Hughes & Kesa White & Jennifer West & Meili Criezis & Cindy Zhou & Sarah Bartholomew, 2021. "Cultural Variance in Reception and Interpretation of Social Media COVID-19 Disinformation in French-Speaking Regions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-28, November.
    4. Nuzhath, Tasmiah & Spiegelman, Abigail & Scobee, Julia & Goidel, Kirby & Washburn, David & Callaghan, Timothy, 2023. "Primary care physicians’ strategies for addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).

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